PREVIEW: Boston at Chesapeake

The Boston Cannons (3-3) are looking for the win to put them over .500 while the Chesapeake Bayhawks (1-5) are looking for a much needed morale booster win this weekend.

Last time out:

Boston: The Cannons had a tight one goal win over the Ohio Machine (2-4) last week. Boston and Ohio were neck and neck in last week’s game both on the field and on the stats page. While Boston had the advantage in goal scoring and faceoff wins by one, the Machine out shot the Cannons and won 29 ground balls to Boston’s 23. Will Manny and Stephen Berger both contributed four goals to the victory while Manny led the team in assists as well with three. Chris Eck was 18 for 35 on faceoffs and Jordan Burke had 17 saves in goal.

Chesapeake: The Bayhawks made history last week with the Rochester Rattlers (4-2) by being the first two teams to go into double overtime. While both teams were able to keep the other below double digits on scoring, the Bayhawks ran into problems with their inability to win at the X where they went 7 for 20. The game turned into a tale of two goalies. Kip Turner made 18 solid saves to keep his team in the game while John Galloway had 21 stops. Ben Rubeor (2G) and Joe (2A) Walters led the team with two points each.

Three storylines:

2009 Repeat?:The Bayhawks have always been at least .500 by Week 6 of the season except for their 2009 season where they started 1-5. The Bayhawks lone win this year came in Week 2 against the Lizards by one. In 2009, their lone win in the first six weeks came in Week 2 against the Lizards by one as well. They broke their losing streak in Week 7 with a two game winning streak but ended up finishing the season at 5-7. Will their losing streak end with a win this weekend against Boston? Or will this be the worst start to a season in Bayhawks history?

Top 5: Three of the top five points leaders are Boston Cannons. Paul Rabil(2), Will Manny (4), and Kevin Buchanan(T5) are ranked along with Florida’s Casey Powell(1), Denver’s Eric Law(3), Jeremy Sieverts(T5) and New York’s Rob Pannell(T5). With a lethal offensive line like the Cannons have, it’s hard to keep them quiet. Chesapeake is going to have to rely on their defense and goalkeeper, Kip Turner, to be a brick wall and diffuse the dynamite that is the Cannons offense.

All-Stars: This week’s game between Boston and Chesapeake will feature 11 Team USA players and five from Team MLL. Chesapeake’s Brendan Mundorf, Matt Abbott, Dan Burns, Matt Mackrides, Jeff Reynolds, Michael Evans, and Jesse Bernhardt will be joining Boston’s Paul Rabil, Kevin Buchanan, Chris Eck, and Mitch Belisle on June 26th in Red White and Blue for Team USA. Jordan Burke, Brodie Merrill, and Kyle Sweeney will represent the Cannons while Joe Walters and Drew Westervelt will represent the Bayhawks for Team MLL at the All-Star Game this month.

Players to Watch:

Boston: Will Manny has been quietly working his way up the scoring leaders ladder. Last week however, Manny broke his silence with a seven point game in the win against Ohio. Manny is perfect for the Cannons offense because he provides a sense of uncertainty. With veterans like Rabil, Boyle, Buchanan, and Berger, there is a bit of predictability because defenders know how they play. While Manny played in ten games last year, he is still an unknown variable to a lot of defenders and the Cannons have capitalized well on that so far.

Chesapeake: Matt Abbott is someone you can never take your eye off of. As a defensive player, he can keep up with any attacker there is. As a transition player moving the ball up, no one can catch him. Abbott has been known to run through multiple players to make the clear in a way that looks effortless. Boston is going to have to work hard to keep the stealthy middie from owning the midfield and clears.

Statistical Leaders:

Boston: Paul Rabil leads the team in points (27) and assists (16). Kevin Buchanan sits atop the scoring leaders both on the Cannons roster and in the league (tied with Eric Law) with 17 goals. Chris Eck has 36 groundballs on the season and a faceoff win percentage of .557 putting him second in the league. Jordan Burke has a 9.89 GAA and a .569 save rate on 137 shots.

Chesapeake: Brendan Mundorf leads the team in points (18), goals (12), and assists (6). Jesse Bernhardt leads in groundballs with 21 followed by Brian Megill with 18. The Bayhawks just acquired faceoff specialist, Stephen Robarge who went 7 for 17 in last week’s game against Rochester.

2013 Season Series:

Boston and Chesapeake split the series last year with a win and loss a piece.

Fun Facts:

Boston: Boston averages the lowest amount of penalty minutes a game at 1.67 while Chesapeake averages the highest amount a game at 5.17

Chesapeake: If the Bayhawks lose, it will be the worst start to a season in club history at 1-6

Heading to the Game?

Be sure to wear your Bayhawks gear to the game! Support MLL All-Star Drew Westervelt with this awesome t-shirt. This shirt is one of many options you can find at the game tomorrow or if you want to come prepared you can order it online now! If you can’t make it to the game but still want to support your team, just buy this cool shirt at the MLL Shop.

Need to know where to watch if you can’t make it to the game? Tune into CBS Sports Network on Saturday at 7:30 pm (ET) to watch Boston take on Chesapeake at Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, MD.

All-Star Game:

And don't forget the MLL All-star Game featuring Team MLL taking on Team USA is only 13 days away on Thursday, June 26 at 7:30 p.m. at Historic Harvard Stadium. Tickets for the event can be found HERE.